For those you who have been following the progress of Sam and his battle with the H1N1 virus, we are sad to say that Sam lost the fight. The last couple of days his condition hit rock bottom and the medical staff exhausted every treatment available. They went above and beyond desperately trying to save him, but it just wasnt meant to be. On Dec. 10th, just after midnight, with his family at his bedside, he was taken off life support and Sam passed away peacefully. He was bigger than life, a great friend and a great father. He will be missed by many. What a happy reunion it must have been when his dear mother and father, who he missed tremendously, were there to greet him on the other side. We too will see you again one day friend, "but not yet." We love you Sam......The Pikyavits

My family and I are all praying for Sam to pull through. We don't pray often but we do when our friends or family are hurting. Because of his sudden illness, we have all gotten our H1N1 shots. When you hear about it on the news you never think it could happen to you. But when it hits this close to home, it scares you. Thank you for keeping me informed. If you need anything, you know you can always call me and my family.
Keep your head up,
Rob and family

UPDATE: 12/7/09 Well, today wasn't so good. The staff tried to wean Sam off of the ECMO, but his oxygen levels didn't hold and began to decline again, so the ECMO oxygen had to be turned back up to 100%. They said they would try again either today or tomorrow. This seems to be how it usually happens. They just keep trying until he is able to maintain his oxygen levels with the ventilator alone.

UPDATE: Today has been a good day for Sam! The staff have been able to decrease the oxygen delivery on the ventilator to 40% and he is doing so well with this that they have decided to try now to wean off the ECMO. This is a process that will take at least 24 hours. Thanks to all who have fasted and prayed with us today. You know Sam will appreciate it and would be overly willing to do the same for any of you.

We've created this blog for family and friends who are worried and concerned about Sam's fight against his serious illness. Sam contracted the H1N1 virus(Swine Flu) about a week and a half ago. He started to get flu symtoms on Tuesday, Nov. 24th which progressed rapidly. On Thanksgiving night, he was admitted into UMC. On Friday he was feeling alitlle better with hydration and meds. On Saturday, his breathing became very labored and ineffectual, so he was transferred to the intensive care unit and was placed on a ventilator. He was sedated and has remained that way since. The next hurdle was that his kidneys werent function properly and so he was placed on continuous dilalysis. He held steady for acouple of days, but then his lungs were no longer able to oxygenate his blood. His oxygen levels dropped to a very dangerous level and the physicians decided to use a risky proceedure in an attempt to get his oxygen levels up. The proceedure is called ECMO, which is the same machine that is used in bypass surgery. It takes the blood from the body, oxygenates it, then returns it to the body. This proceedure has been used effectively in pediactrics, but up to now, has not been widely used on adults. But do to the serious complications of H1N1, it has been successfully used in other areas of the country as well as other parts of the world. So Sam will be on ECMO for at least 7-10 days before they even try to go back to traditional treatments and see how he will do. Currently, he has made very small improvements, but the staff seems hopeful.
So that everyone is aware, right now, Sam is CRITICALLY ILL. The doctors have said that if he is able to make it past this most critical part, he will still very likely be on the ventilator for 4-6 weeks! And then will be very weak and need rehab.
Right now, there is not much that we can do as friends and family except to petition the Lord on his behalf. We ask for your prayers for his comfort and speedy recovery. Thank you! PS I'm not sure how you can post to this blog or send pictures. If you know how to do it, feel free to do so. If you are like me (technologically challenged) send it to my email and I will post it. jkpikyavit@hotmail.com - Jeff and Kristi Pikyavit